Pediatric Surgeon Receives Foundation Award

Last month, Donald Meier, M.D., was awarded the 2017 Carlos Gutierrez Milagro Award. The award was presented to Dr. Meier’s wife, Patsy, by the El Paso Children’s Hospital Foundation on his behalf.

Dr. Meier, a professor emeritus of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso), was selected for the award based on his meticulous planning, fearless courage and a commitment to speaking the truth in the face of tough issues.

Dr. Meier is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, and earned his M.D. from the University of Tennessee in 1971. He went on to complete a surgery residency as the first-ever surgery resident at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (UT Southwestern) in Dallas, Texas, followed by two years in the US Army.

The pediatric surgeon relocated to El Paso in 2003, where he continued his work in national and international surgical education — serving as a visiting professor at various medical schools and institutions throughout Africa and Eastern Europe. Dr. Meier became a professor emeritus in the TTUHSC El Paso Department of Surgery in 2015.

Previous to his appointment at TTUHSC El Paso, Dr. Meier worked for fifteen years as a full-time surgical educator in Nigeria followed by ten years as a professor at UT Southwestern. Before arriving to El Paso, Dr. Meier was the chief of surgery at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

The award was presented March 24 during the El Paso Children’s Hospital Foundation 2017 Milagro Gala.